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Strategic Planning: The Human Part of The Human Resources Plan

November 23, 2008 With so much changing in the world around us, it’s going to be hard to make assumptions about what we think we know as we try to plan for success in the year ahead.  Our existing beliefs are being challenged like never before, our systems have been disturbed to the point of collapse and the status quo is more of a moving target than ever.  That makes now a good time to start mapping out primary and secondary objectives along with major and minor initiatives for 2009.  That is, if you haven’t already.   But even if you have, it is also a good opportunity to be sure (or as sure as you can be) that your upcoming goals are clear, targeted and aligned to be mutually reinforcing and produce desired business results.

But a note of caution:  It’s easier to plan numbers, than to plan employee behavior. This means that time and effort should also be devoted to how you will achieve your goals at the same time that you are defining what those goals are.  It’s where the soft, intangible side of business comes into play to offset, balance and complement the harder, more tangible side.  Because while we can forecast sales and costs based on history, plan inventories and advertising to support one another, plot calendars, set objectives and establish headcounts, we can’t ignore the role that people play in the broader scheme of things. After all, it’s ultimately human talent and behavior that makes the grand plan work in the first place – or not.

Training, management and leadership skills, corporate communications and role modeling are all vital components for how businesses drive and shape behaviors to support the successful accomplishment of their goals.  So after the numbers are set, start another round of planning by answering questions like:

   1. Goals and objectives: What has to happen? Start at the end and work backwards.
   2. Planning behavior: What does each individual or department need to do? Break down actions.
   3. Provide roadmaps: How do we want our employees to accomplish this? Define expectations.
   4. Link to the business:  What will we do to support the efforts of our employees? Align resources that invest in desired outcomes.

Posted by Donna Flagg on November 23, 2008 | Comments (0)